If you are a Houston Rocket fan, then you know we can't stand floppers. Just the thought of the Utah Jazz back in their flopping heyday sends shivers up my spine. One thing you never saw Dream do is collapse to the ground just from being grazed my an opposing player, it just wasn't in his blood. I know taking charges is part of basketball, but I have seen Yao make some good flops. Does that mean he is just playing the game, or is he being what we Rocket fans can't stand - a flopper?
I really don't think Yao is a flopper. He is just too easily knocked off his feet. Hes pretty coordinated for his height, but he ends up on the floor an awful lot. Now Mo Taylor. I think he has become a lil bit of a flopper (and a damn good one at that).
When you weigh 300+ pounds you do not go to the floor intentionally. The old saying (the bigger they are the harder they fall) applies here.
Setting up to take an offensive charge is one thing. That takes balls to take a hit full force. Falling down when grazed or flying 30 feet in the stands when Mike Wilks hits you is another. MoT is is really good at it. I've seen Yao do 2 or 3 the last couple months. But they don't seem to insult our intelligence with exagerated movement. They stick in there and fall honesty when a 250 pound beast rams into them at full speed. I can respect that!!!
Yao falls down naturally. He often even get pushed to the floor. Taylor has becoming a very good flopper, but his flopping is not as obvious as Derick Fisher/Divac, very subtle, but just as effective! You hate floppers on another team, but you got to love a good flopper on your side! Last night Talyor's flop against Gasol was priceless. It was an offensive foul anyway, but flopping makes it much easier for the refs to make the call.
Aside from those obvious acts from Nejera and Madsen, many times falling backward is a necessity to avoid injury. It is simple Physics. If you stand tight as best as you can, your body absorbs most of the force when the other guy crashes into you. If you fall, much of the impact is transferred to the floor, so-called grounding the force. As the momentum is proportional to velocity and mass, a small guy running at high speed smashing directly into Shaq can bring him down easily. So it's a natural, unavoidable act in many cases. The question is: do you want your guy to get injured, or stand tall and be a real man?
Throwing his own enormous body onto the hardwood floor, risking an injury, is not worth a call. No, he will never do it (unless maybe in the game 7 of a NBA final seriers). Nautic _____________ "The best actor in the NBA has to be Vlad Divac. He acts the best all the time. He acts like a basketball player all the time". Hollywood star Samuel Jackson
Yao isn't a flopper. When he match up against Shaq....u can see he's using all his strength to hold off Shaq instead of letting it go or flopping like some other players did.
i think he does flop sometimes but that's part of the game. i think the charge he drew on damon (5'10") stoudamire was a good example.
I've never seen Yao just fall backwards when there's little or no contact. He has tried to "sell a charge" by backing off upon getting an elbow or something. In which case, there was a foul and he justed wanted to make the refs call it. But it's nothing close to what Floppy Divac and the Jazz do. And sometimes, I think Yao just loses his balance. He might be coordinated, but he is 7-6. So his center of gravity will mean he's going to fall down easier.
